FN: Frederick Noronha’s blog

Nice sunsets this season. Photo above is from Sinquerim. At left, the ramparts of the old fort, around the area handed over to a luxury hotel group. Need to travel more with my camera these days…  the monsoon clouds are still only coming in. A few visible above. Just before the rainy-season starts, there can be much more!

technorati tags:Goa, photography seasons

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Hello Panjim now in Volume VII. A mix: ad-driven… nice words for politicians… and useful updates (and phone numbers) in a fast-changing Goa. Priced Rs 15. From teh Hello Publications group: hellopublications@gmail.com

technorati tags:mags, Goa, publications

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A play telling “the story” from the perspective of Judas Iscariot

It’s described thus; “Chintnank sarem ghalpi/ Motik dhar kaddpi/ Dev bhirantichea mon’xank halovpi/ Unnea bhavarthachea mon’xank zagovpi/ Ek anki nattok.” (Something to shake you up, and challenge the less-than-faithful…)

Published in 2007. Again, a TSKK-publication (I picked up these three books together). Priced at Rs 60. 58 pages.

It says: “Pratap Naik SJ’s attempt at a lateral view makes a fascinating monologue to watch and listen to. Puritans may find the concept itself and the dialogues to be blasphemy. The playwright does not make a statement. Judas is brought to life in 2004 Anno Domini and made to tell us his side of the story — rather the untold story.”

technorati tags:Konkani, TSKK, books, Goa, Catholicism

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After reading about it in cyberspace, I recently dropped in to buy a copy of Pratap Naik’s  songbook for kids, Hansat Gayat Nachat (Bhurgeanchim Gitam). Nicely brought out… in the Roman script.

In two parts, 36 + 22 songs.

Here’s one I learnt with Riza when she was in primary school. It’s about a kid, I guess, promising the moon to a kitten (milky cream, the landlord’s cow, a red dress) … and then goes on to have an unusual ending (reflecting the fish-eating Goan’s dislike for vegetarianism). Correct me if I’m wrong… maybe I’m just reading too much into a kiddies’ song, or getting it quite, quite incorrect:

BILUBAY

Bilubay, bilubay
Tuka kitem zay?
Khatai zalear haddun ditam
Duda voili say

Bilubay, bilubay
Tuka kitem zay?
Postai zalear haddun ditam
Bhattkarali gay.

Bilubay, bilubay
Tuka kitem zay?
Nhestai zalear xinvun ditam
Tambddi bori say

Bilubay, bilubay
Khobor kosli kai?
Chovthe vellar xivrak jevun
Pottant bhorlea vay.

Most songs are by Pratap Naik, the late Konkani poet laureate Dr Manoharrai Sardessai or based on the Konkani folk tradition. An interesting publication.

For the record, I’m not pro-enforced-Konkani (as a medium of education in primary school). Like those hypocrites (who talk in favour of Konkani and send their kids to elite English-language schools), I too am a hypocrite. I’m solidly in favour of English education (or at least a choice for the parents to freely decide, without being beaten by the no-regional-languages-no-grants stick).

Riza studies Konkani out of pure convenience… if the school next-door was run in Japanese, I would probably send her there too. Kids can cope with languages… in a globalised world, the more they know the better. But then, why block early access to a language like English? Who’s bigoted agenda?

technorati tags:Konkani, primaryschool, songs, TSKK

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Sôd is the journal of the Thomas Stevens Konknni Kendr … and its’ tenth issue focuses on the script issue. See its ToC (table of contents) below:

technorati tags:Konkani, TSKK

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One of Colin D’Cruz’s many ventures… a Latino band from Goa… active earlier this decade (not sure about current status)…. See http://www.hullocheck.com

technorati tags:goa, latinomusic, CD, Colin, bassman

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Devotional music… Konkani, Manglore variant. Lyrics by Dr Pratap Naik sj, and music by Eric Ozario. Instruments backing it up include the Korg, sitar, lead guitar, clarionet, sax, violin, tabla, acoustic guitar, base guitar and rhythm. Quite an East-West synthesis, as one could guess….. Available (or was) via the Thomas Stevens Konkani Kendr.

technorati tags:Konkani, music, devotional, CD, TSKK

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Without reservations I would recommend Ubuntu, the GNU/Linux distro I’m currently using, for its ease-of-use and wide choice of packages. Earlier, I was on Debian (I like their politics … and might move back to it, now that an upgraded version is out). Above is the LFY version of Ubuntu, easily available in India. But there are others too, that come in via DVD, or can be downloaded from the Net.

Incidentally, I had this opportunity to interview Ubuntu-founder and Afronaut Mark Shuttleworth, under a full-moon and over a Ugandan dinner on the banks of Lake Victoria one January 2006 night… a memory that will long remain with me. He spoke not just of software, but of the need to promote Math education and offer better quality schooling in Africa. I was struck by his humility and candour…. confidence, and vision.

technorati tags:Ubuntu, software, GNU/Linux, MarkShuttleworth

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www.justjazz.8m.com  Recorded live in concert * Route 66 * Don’t get around much more * Girl from Ipanema * The more I see of you * Georgia * Avalon. Team: Belinda Oliveira (vocals). George Fernandez (piano). Colin D’Cruz (bass). Lester Godinho (drums). Distributed by Angel www.angelav.com

technorati tags:music, goa, cds

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Maxigas of Green Spider in Hungary asked me about some ICT-for-D books mentioned recently. These books are (just sharing the same with some additional ones, in case any one is interested):

*** Code: Collaborative Ownership and the Digital Commons
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code:_Collaborative_Ownership_and_the_Digital_Commons

*** Codev2 by Lawrence Lessig From the Preface: “This is a translation of an old book—indeed, in Internet time, it is a translation of an ancient text.” That text is Lessig’s “Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace.” The second version of that book is “Code v2.” The aim of Code v2 is to update the earlier work, making its argument more relevant to the current internet. Download the book free:
http://pdf.codev2.cc/Lessig-Codev2.pdf

*** Mobile Communication and Society: A Global Perspective http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Communication_and_Society:_A_Global_Perspective

*** Another interesting book I came across (and shared some of my notes via the Wikipedia, please do too if you can, w.r.t. ICT-for-development books specially ) is
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenging_The_Chip

*** Then, take a look at Coding Cultures (Francesca da Rimini, ed): A Handbook for Coding Cultures provides a lasting companion to the inspiring projects and topical currents of thought explored in the Coding Cultures Symposium and Concept Lab. Six invited writers and groups from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, England, Italy and Hong Kong
share their experiences of building imaginative digital tools, social networks, open labs and internet-based knowledge platforms for communication and creativity. Complementing these commissioned texts are contributions from our guest artists from Canada, England and Jamaica. Artist statements from Symposium speakers completes this snapshot of contemporary cultural practice. Keeping true to the traditions of the free circulation of knowledge and culture, the Coding Cultures Handbook is available free of charge. A limited print edition of the Handbook was launched at the Coding Cultures Symposium on 9 March 2007. The complete Handbook can be viewed or downloaded below. Alternatively, essays can also be downloaded individually (see
List of Contents below) and where available, a link to the Author’s online essay is also provided. You can download this book free. http://www.dlux.org.au/codingcultures/handbook.html

*** Free As In Education: a 2003 Finnish study on Free Software/Open Source in the “developing” world. By Niranjan Rajani et al (sharable)… am still trying to get the chapters on Asia, Africa and Latin America, as the downloadable links seem broken. Write to me for a copy of the main report (minus the regional chapters) if interested.

Please share any other interesting books if you come across these.

technorati tags:ict-for-development, books, downloadable

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